Soft-ball machine



S. P. SHUKIE.

SOFT BALL MACHINE.A APPLICATION FILED 1AN.1.1919.

Patented Oat. 3, 1922.

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SOFT BALL MACHINE. APPL|cAT|oN- ruin um. 7,V 1919.

1,431,052. Patented. Oct.' 3,1922.

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s. P. SHUKIE.

y son BALL MACHINE. APPLICATIQN FILED 1AN7,1919.

Patented Oct. 3, 1922.

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SQFT BALL MACHINE. APPLICATIN {ILED JAN. 7, 1919.

Patented oct. 3, 1922.

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S. P. SHUKIE.

SOFT BALL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IMI. 1, I9I9.

Patented. Oct. `3, 1922.

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SOFT BALL MACHINE. APPLlcAnoN FILED 1AN.1.1919.

1,431,052, mma oon-3,1922.

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STEPHEN l. SHUKIE, VQTEST'ORT, CONNECTICUT.

SQFT-BALL MACHINE.

Application filed January 7, 1919.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, fdrnrnnN l). Sunnis, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at lVestport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful improvements in Soft- Ball lilachines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a yarn or twine winding or ball. forming machine, and more especially a tensioning or direct feeding mechanism for use in connection with ball winding or forming apparatus, whereby any desired tension in the winding of the yarn, twine, or similar material adaptable to the characteristics of the material and to the size and form of the ball to be produced and graduated automatic-ally as the ball increases in diameter may be attained, primarily, to insure the subsequent unwiiidiiig of the ball with facility, second, to suit the peculiarity, the material and avoid likelihood of breakage in the windino' operation, and to adapt the ball to tue subsequent commercial use to which it is intended to be applied.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the course of the following detailed description, it being understood that changes in the forni, proportion, and details ofthe particular mechanism. submitted may be resorted to, within the scope of vthe appended claims without departing from the spirit ofV the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a plan view of a meclianisur showing one en'ibodiinent of the invention applied.v in the operative position to a ball winding machine of a well known commercial type now on the market and known the Silver and Gay machine manufactured by the North Chelmsford lilachine and Sup ply Company incorporated subsequent to Silver and Gay Company at North Chelmsford, lvfassachusetts.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same viewed from a position indicated by the line of Figure l. Y

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plan indicated by 3 3 of Figure l.

Figure el is a similar view taken on the i line ldd of Figure l.

Figure 5 is a detailed face view of the graduating speed mechanism.

Figure 6 is a detail view showing' the Serial No. 269,977.

transmission mechanism also forming an element of the graduated speed device.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on a plan indicated by line 7-7 of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a plan or development of the cam carried by the cam wheel shown in Figure 5 after View of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the plan vindicated by the plan 9-9 of Figure l showing the elements of the feed mechanism in end view with the yarn or twine guide disposed in operative relation thereto.

Figure 10 is a plan of Figure 9.

Figure 1l is a detail. side view partly in section of the roller or positive feed member.

Figure l2 is a detail view of the adjustable yarn guide.

The essential feature of the invention is a variable speed yarn or twine tensioning or feed mechanism indicated in Figure l at and shown `in detail in Figures 9,' 10 and l1, the same comprising a main cone shape feed roller 2l, preferably having a longitudinally grooved or corrugated surface, and a cri-operating preferably smooth `faced and coned presser roll 22 carried by a swinging frame mounted on a. longitudinal bar 24 of the frame work of the machine and yieldingly held by gravity or otherwise in operative relation with the main or positive feed roll 2l, so that yarn or twine in passing between the surface of the feed rolls is positively forwarded or advanced at a rate determined by the speed of rotation of the roller or positive feed roll and the position, relative to the faces of the (zO-operating rolls, at which the passage of said yarn or twine vis effected. rl`he point at which the passage of the yarn or twine occurs is determinable by a yarn or twine guide `25 having a guide eye Q6 through which the yarn passes and a sleeve 2T which is adjustably seated on a guide rod 28 and is held at the desired adjustment hy the thumb screw 29. The adj ustment of the guide longitudinally of the supporting rod will, obviously, dispose the yarn or twine passing to the feed rolls at apoint .in the lengths thereof which, at a given or uniform speed of rotation of the main or positive feed roll, will advance said yarn oi" twine at a given rate of movement. y

By reason of such positive Jforward movement of the v rn or twine it is possible in a machine ofthe construction herein dellO 2 i meines scribed or a machine having` a feed attachment such as that forming` the subject matter of this invention, to roll a ball of yarn or twine directly from a spool instead of as in the present practice wherein it is necessary to first wind from the sliein to a spool, and then from a spool to a cone, and finally from the cone to the ball, thus carrying the winding' operation through an intermediate winding from the spool to a cone instead of directly kfrom a spool to the ball as is possible in accordance with this invention.

lt may be lexplained in this connection that the intermediate winding heretofore necessary, from al spool through a cone to the ball has been due to the fact that only in this way has it been possible to avoid an excessive tension in the winding on the ball asit has been found impractical to wind directly from the spool owing to the resistance incident thereto and thefact that a greater tension to yarn or twine is induced than is desirable in the ball.

Motion is communicated to the positive feed roll 2l from a shaft 30, there preferably being established a ratchet connection between the shaft and feed roll to permit of independent movement of the latter so that the yarn or twine may be drawn freely between the said rolls particularly in starting the machine or in feeding yarn or twine for winding, without necessitating the coin.- cident movement of the shaft, said mechanism consisting of a ratchet 3l, preferably carried bythe shaft and secured thereto by a safety set screw 32, and a yielding pawl 33 carried by the roll and having, for ei;- ample, an actuating spring Bel. safety set screws it is intended to indicate a locking` means between the ratchet and the shaft which carries the rsaine which has yielding frictional engagement with one of the elements, such engagement being of a stress suflicient tov insure transmission of motion from one element to the other under normal conditions but capable of yielding to an er;- cessive or unusual or objectionable strain, so as to avoid breakage or other accident. The collars 35 by which the main feed roll is secured against end wise shifting` movement on the shaft 30 may also be fastened to the shaft by safety set screws 36.

The feed roll shaft receives motion from the main drive shaft 37, which may bc driven by any suitable or preferred power, through a variable speed transmission device indicated generally at 38 and suitable speed reducing gearing 39, and in the construction illustrated the feed transmission mechanism embodies cin-operatively related cone pulleys 40 andai, the former of which receives mction directly from the drive shaft by means of pulleys Zl2 and A3 connected by a belt all while the latter receives motion from the former through a floating and adjustable belt l5 disposed between the surfaces of the cone pulleys and adapted to be shifted longitudinally of the pulleys so as to vary the rate of transmission of motion from one element to the other. The motion of the second or receiving cone pulley 4l is conveyed to its shaft 46 from which it is communicated through pulleys 47 and i8 and a belt 49 to a counter shaft 50' and from the latter through pulleys 5l and a belt 52 to a pulley 53 on the shaft 30 of the lower or main feed roll. Preferably there is a reduction of speed between the drive shaft and the main shaft of the lower cone pulley, this however eing optional, and obviously the speed of transmission of motion from one cone pulley to the other will depend upon the position relative thereto of the belt 45, but in adapting the present invention to machine of the type marlrcted it has beenv found desirable to employ speed reducing means between the receiving or operated cone pulley al and the feed roll shaft by the introduction of motion conveying means such as the belt and pulleys of different diameters, or the mechanical equivalent thereof, so that a proper regulable speed of rotationof the feed mechanism may be secured.

The means for supporting the spools are represented by the spindles 54, from which the yarn or twine is drawn `by the feed mechanism, and the means for receiving the yarn or twine from the feeding mechanism and winding the same to form the ball is the winder generally represented at The means for holding the ball to be wound and which may consist of tiltable spindles and the means for conveying motion from the main drive shaft, form no part of` this invention and 'therefore are indicated in a general way only in the drawing. They may be of any suitable construction and arrangement, with the single provision ythat the feed mechanism be interposed between the source of supply of the yarn or twine, such as the reels, and the winding mechanism by which the yarn or twine after leaving` the feed mechanism is laid on the ball spindles in the formation of the balls. ln order however that the feed of the yarn or twine may be graduated cr may be increased in rate of speed as the diameter of the ball increasesthere is employed a shifting mechanism for the belt l5 by which motion is conveyed from the driving tothe driven cone pulleys, and said shifting mechanism includes a cam wheel 57 carrying a cam 58 which is shown in developed form in Figure S and which co-operates with a swinging lever 59 connected with a rack 60 which in turn communicates motion to a segment 6l and thence to a rocher 62 which actuates belt shifter 68. rEhe cam is of a lll) llt)

naaipsa gradually increased contour as shown at 63 terminating in an abruptly increased enlargement 64 having an abrupt face 65 for promptly shifting the transmission belt to the reduced or sloiiT motion end of the transmission pulleys after the winding of one ball has been completed and preparatory for the commencement of the winding of a succeeding ball. The cam face operates against pin 66 carired by the shifting lever 59 and the cam is driven by the shaft or spindle 78 on which it is carried, the latter receiving motion from the main drive shaft 37 through the instrumentality of a worm and a gear connection. The drive shaft 87 carries a worm 100 meshing with and driving a worm gear 101 carried at the lower extremity of a shaft 102 rotatably mounted in the frame of a machine, the upper extremity of the shaft 102 carrying the worm 103 meshing with the worm gear 10a carried on the shaft 78. Since it is necessary for the shaft 37 to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 to insure the proper direction of rotation for the feed roll 21, the shaft 78 rotates in the same direction and the pin 66 of the shifting lever traverses down the inclined face 63 of the cam, thence up the abrupt face 65, thence across the face of the enlargement 6-1 from which it passes again to the face 63. The shifting lever is therefore rocked slowly as the pin 66 traverses the cam face and the lever is adjustable as to the active lengtl of its supporting arm by means of a plurality of openings 67 for engagement by the fulcrum pin 68 on the supporting bracket 69, and in the same way the lower extremity of the shifting` lever is adjustably connected by means of openings 70 and the fulcrum pin 71 with the enlargement or head 72 on a rod 73 connected with feed rack 60. By means of adjustment between the shifting lever and the rack the path of movement of the transmisison belt between the co-operative faces of the cone pulleys may be determined whereas by the adjustment of the active length of the supporting arm of said shifting lever the rapidity of throw or movement of the rack relative to the contour of the cam may be regulated to secure any desired relation between the speeds of the several elements of the device.

In the construction illustrated, the rocker 62 is provided with a counterweight 7 at, the tendency of which is to shift the belt 45 to a position where the greatest speed will be obtained in the variable speed mechanism; namely, towards the larger base of the cone 40. At the same time, the gravitational tendency of this counterweight lserves to keep the pin 66 against the operating face of the cam 58 and as -the latter rotates the rocker is moved in opposition to the gravitational tendency of the counterweight. A

spring or any equivalent yielding means may, however, be employed to replace this counterweight if found necessary. At its upper end said rocker is connected by a slot 75 and pin 76 with a hanger 77 mounted upon a suitable guide which may consist of the spindle 78 ofthe aforesaid cam wheel 57, the belt shifting arm 63 being pivotally or hingedly connected with and carried by said hanger 77 which is preferably free for` swinging movement at its lower end toward and from the plane of the cone pulleys. At

the end adjacent to the cone pulleys the shifting arm 63 is provided with a belt guide 7 9 and this extremity of the arm is carried by a guide bar 80 prefert bly of square or cross sectionally irregular form so that the belt guide end of the shifting arm is positively guided in a path parallel with the proximate faces of the cone pulleys. Obviously the swinging movement of the. hanger 7 7 will compensate for the diagonal disposition of said guide bar without destroying the operative relation between said hanger and the rocker which is carried by a cross shaft 81.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that provision has been made for positively drawing the yarn or twine from the spool or other source of supply at a rate of speed which is readily regulable to suit the tension at which it is desired to lay the same upon the mandrel upon which the ball is wound, and that this rate of speed is graduated to correspond with the gradually increased diameter of the ball so that a uniform tension of the yarn or twine from start to finish of the ball may be secured without specific attention on the part of the operator after the proper adjustment has been made.

lt will further be obvious that in a machine having a plurality of winding heads for forming a number of balls at one time,

it is possible to simultaneously wind balls of different materials requiring different tensions or different rates of speed, or in other words to wind balls with different degrees of hardness or softness or tightness or looseness, and yet provide for a graduation in the speed of supply through the feed mechanism, for the reason that the means for graduating the speed in the course of the winding of the ball or in proportion to the increase in diameter of the ball is independent of the means by which the fundamental speed of feed is secured. For example, while the initial or fundamental rate of speed is determinable bythe adjustment of the guide eye 26 with relation to the surfaces of the feed rolls., the rate of increase in the speed of supply from the start to the finish of the winding of the ballis controlled by the transmission mechanism and is therefore proportionate to the diameter of the ball irrespective of the initial or fundamental rate of speed which is adopted by the operator to correspond with and provide for the particular characteristics of the material to be wound or the tightness or .looseness relatively of the ball to be formed.

l. A ball winding machine having a positive yarn feeding mechanism interposed between the source of supply and the winder head, said feeding mechanism being formed to provide different speeds for the yarn within certain limitsJ adjustable means for attaining a fixed fundamental speed for the feeding mechanism, and variable transmission mechanism through which motion is communicated to the feed mechanism to vary and gradually increase the rate of speed in proportion to the increase in diameter of the ball and independent of the fundamental speed.

2. In a ball winding machine, a positive yarn feeding mechanism interposed between the source of supply and the Winder head, and consisting of cooperating rolls between which the yarn passes, the said rolls being formed to provide different speeds for the passing yarn, adjustable means cooperating with said roll to attain a fixed fundamental speed for the yarn passing between the two, and variable speed transmission mechanism through which motion communicated to the feed rolls to modify the speed of rotation of the latter independent of the fundamental speed as the diameter of the ball increases.

3. In a ball winding machine a positive yarn feeding mechanism interposed between the source of supply and the winder head and consisting of oppositely coned cooperative feed rolls, one of which is positively actuated, and a yarn guide adjustable relatively to the rolls to determine the point in the surfaces thereof through which the yarn passes, and variable speed transmission mechanism for imparting motion to the positively' driven feed roll.

el.. In a ball winding machine a yarn feeding mechanism interposed between the source of supply and the Winder head and consisting of co-operative oppositely coned feed rolls, one of which is positively driven and is provided with a corrugated yarn engaging surface, a yarn guide adjustable relatively to the axes of the feed rolls to determine the point at which the yarn will pass between the surfaces thereof, and variable speed transmission mechanism for imparting motion to the positively driven roll.

5. In a ball winding machine a yarn feeding mechanism interposed between the source of supply and the winder head and consisting of co-operative oppositely coned rolls, one of which is positively driven and the other of which is yieldingly held in operative motion with the former, and a yarn guide positioned adjustably with relation to.

feed rolls to determine the point at which the yarn will pass between the surfaces thereof, and variable speed transmission mechanism for imparting motion to the positively driven roll.

6. In a ball Winding machine a variable feed mechanism interposed between the source ofsupply and the winder head and consisting of co-operative graduated rotary elements between different portions of the surface of which the yarn is adapted to pass, and variable speed transmission mechanism for communicating motion to said feed mechanism, and including driving and driven cone pulleys and a floating belt for communicating motion from the former to the latter, and cam actuated shifting mechanism for varying the position of said belt relatively to the said pulley to correspond with the increase in diameter of the ball.

7. In a ball winding machine a positively driven feed mechanism having co-operative graduated feed rolls, and variable speed transmission mechanism through which motion is communicated to said feed rolls and consisting of co-operating driving and driven cone pulleys, a iioating belt for comymunicating motion from the former to the latter, and belt. shifting mechanism movable in accordance with the increase in diameter of the ball, and consisting of a rocker yieldably returnable to its normal position, a swinging hanger with which said rocker is connected, and a belt Shifting arm provided with a belt guide and positive guiding means parallel with the adjacent ico-operative faces of said pulleys.

8. In a ball winding machine a positively driven yarn feeding mechanism having cooperative graduated feed rolls between which the yarn passes, variable speed transmission mechanism for communicating motion to said feed rolls and consisting of oppositely coned driving and driven pulleys, a floating belt for communicating motion from the former to the latter. a counter weighted rocker and a belt shifting element actuated by said rocker and having a belt guide mounted to traverse a path parallel adjacent co-operative fa'ces of said pulleys, and means for moving the rocker proportionately to the increase in the diameter of the ball.

9. In a ball winding machine a positively driven yarn feeding mechanism having cooperative graduated rotary elements between which the yarn passes from the source of supply to the winder head, and means for operating said feed mechanism including a yvariable speed transmission mechanism having a shiftable element movable to increase the speed of the feed mechanism as the diameter of the ball increases, and means for actuating said shiftable element consistwith the n w or' a shifting arm and a cam operatively variable speed transmission mechanism having a shii'table element movable to increase the speed of the feed mechanism as the diameter of the ball increases, and means for actuating' said shiftable element consisting of a shifting arm and a rotary cam having a graduated face extending from an abruptly increased enlargement having an abrupt actuating face for the prompt return or' the shifting arm to its initial position.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature.

STEPHEN P. SHUKE. 

